Admirable attempt to revive lost cause of national list

It is encouraging to note the national lists of the two key political parties in the upcoming General Election displaying some degree of professionalism, something Sri Lanka lacked for a long time. Although the motive behind adopting a national list under the new Constitution introduced by the J.R. Jayewardene regime was to obtain the contribution of the professionals, experts and persons in the academia in the governing process, this purpose was hardly served by all those who came into power since 1978. The concept of a national list has been thus, a progressive one, aimed at improving the way the country is governed, though it was not adopted in the way it was supposed to.
The low profile political culture Sri Lanka inherited following the introduction of the open economy in the latter part of the 1970s changed not only the politics and the economy of the country, but also every aspect of Sri Lankan life, putting the credibility of the national list system on the line. The national list, which was supposed to be the doorway for those who could serve the country with their expertise in different fields, to enter the country’s legislature, only backfired in so much as paving the way for thugs, muggers, henchmen and those who funded the political parties to enter Parliament.
Both ruling and opposition parties that occupied the legislature since 1978, allocated the majority of seats in their national lists for those who could sabotage opposition activities in Parliament by hook or crook. National list slots were given to businessmen who funded the party activities and also they were used as tools to show goodwill to those who helped their cause during the elections.
It was not long ago that one of these national list Members of Parliament (MP) assaulted a MP, a Thera from the Jathika Hela Urumaya in a horrible manner in a brawl in Parliament. The MP Thara had to be hospitalised as a result.
This time around, the national lists of the UPFA and UNF for the upcoming general election have shown some hope, though of course, it’s not enough. But, something is always better than nothing. Professionals and academics have been given national list slots by the both parties against their previous practice of putting bootlickers and ‘mudalalis’ in the national list.
This time, the UNF national list consists of an economist and a banker—Eran Wickramaratne, who is presently the CEO of National Development Bank and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva who has been vociferous over issues pertaining to the country’s economy.
“This trend is really good. The professionals and academics can create a balance in Parliament where most of the MPs are ‘professional politicians,’ and most importantly, their input can always come handy in the legislative process,” a senior diplomat said.
Likewise, the UPFA national list is also enriched with professionals and people from academia. Professor G.L. Pieris, Professor Vishawa Warnapala and Dr. Tissa Vitarana are some of them.
This means that the national lists presented by both key political parties are either perfect or ideal. What we are discussing here are the salient features of this time’s national lists. We also cannot build a rational argument to support the reason why a world famous actress is in the national list of a political party!
Of course, we understand that Rome was not built in one day. Even the Almighty God took six days to create the world. Therefore, the trend which has started with regard to the nomination of people for national lists in the upcoming election is much appreciated and we hope that this will continue and it may lead this country out of the wretched politics it is cursed with.